What Will Happen to R22 and How Does it Affect You

Published on May 17, 2016

You may not know what R22 is, but if your air conditioning system was installed before 2010, you probably should. Refrigerant is what causes the air coming from your AC system to stay cool, so it’s obviously very important. Most air conditioning units older than 10 years use an AC refrigerant called R22. This refrigerant started being used in the 1950s and became the main AC refrigerant in the residential HVAC industry.

About 30 years later the world discovered that R22 refrigerants were contributing to the depletion of the Earth’s ozone layer. Not cool. So the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, along with other agencies and organizations, began a phase-out of many ozone-depleting agents, including R22 refrigerant.

By January 2010 the manufacturing and import of R22 would be outlawed. The loophole was current systems were excluded from the ban. So the manufacturing and import stopped, but R22 could still be sold and used until January 2015. Then, by 2020, R22 would pretty much no longer be applied, at least in the U.S.

So here’s a brief summary before we get into how this will affect you:

R22 is no longer manufactured in North America

You can get recycled R22 today to service existing HVAC systems that uses this certain AC refrigerant

The cost of R22 is increasing because of the limited supply, and will no longer be available for use at all by 2020

So how does this affect you?

If your HVAC equipment was manufactured after January 2010, the EPA refrigerant rules and regulations will probably not apply to you.

If your heating and air conditioning system was manufactured before January 2010, particularly if it’s older than a decade, you have multiple options:

1) Invest in a new, more environmentally-friendly system, which uses the approved air conditioning refrigerant.

2) Replace parts in your current system to make it compatible with approved AC refrigerant. This is not recommended and may void any remaining warranties.

3) Keep on using recycled R22 until 2020.

The simplest option is to invest in an upgraded AC system, particularly if your current AC system is already over 10 years old. Although making a sudden purchase may not be the easiest option, A-PLUS Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning has many financing options that help make the investment highly affordable. A new piece of AC equipment will also be more efficient and give you improved comfort, helping to reduce your utility bills.

The next option would fluctuate in price and isn’t a lasting option. You could have your equipment retrofitted by an HVAC expert and switch over to an approved air conditioning refrigerant. This demands far more than just flushing out the air conditioner and adding new A/C refrigerant; it also requires that you replace the existing parts with new, compatible parts. Your manufacturer will probably not reimburse you for the parts to make this change because retrofitting your A/C equipment will likely void the warranty. It’s also not a permanent answer and will most likely only give you a couple more years of use. It’s a brief fix, and could be less expensive than a new system today, but the investment in a new upgraded air conditioning unit will probably benefit most homeowners in dependability, satisfaction, and long-term comfort.

The last option is to change nothing. You can continue to use recycled R22 air conditioner refrigerant for the foreseeable future. While this may seem like a great choice, you can come across a few issues. The cost of servicing old R22 AC equipment is starting to climb to over several hundred dollars (basically a down payment on a new air conditioning unit). You could also see the prices climb as demand continues to rise on a chemical that is no longer manufactured or widely available.

If you aren’t certain what type of AC refrigerant your air conditioning system uses, we can help. Call A-PLUS Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning today and we can perform an inspection to determine if you are currently using R22 and, if so, which option works best for you.

Does Your HVAC Unit Use R-22?

If you have an AC that was built before 2010, your AC unit will probably have R-22. But, if you purchased your air conditioner after January 1, 2010, then your air conditioner probably doesn't have any R22. You can see the type of refrigerant your air conditioner uses by checking the appliance’s nameplate. This nameplate is typically found on the outdoor condenser of your central air conditioning system. Another option, you can read your user’s manual or contact your local Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) service company.

While making the switch to an approved AC refrigerant may be frustrating, it’s saving the environment and saving our air.

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